Ignition system for internal-combustion engines.



C. L. SILVA. IGNITION SYSTEM POE INTERNAL OBUSTIN ENGINES. APPLICATIONFILED Emis, i910.

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HALF ONE-HUNBREDTHS 310 PERCY DREDTHS TC E. CON, JHN AQGILLNS, CLARNELSN, 1\l'. H. HARGRAVE, 17V. V.

OFARRELL, D. GARR, T?. Wlhl, A. G. NAL-RER, 1i.

1LT. BRCKEET, El? 19.-'5. EBOUGH, ALL OF SAN MAmsoN, v. n. meurtriers,:einem caiirronnrs.

n Kennisnet, s.

G-NXTION SYSTTv' FOR NTERTL-CGMBUSTEON ENGINES.

'aterited inne 2i?, ELS-Eri,

Appieatiori tiled February. ib. Serial No. 545 269.

To all 'whom it mayc'oacem:

Be it lin-own that l, CLAUDE San Diego, in the county of San Diegoitat-'Le of California, have invented certa..i

'Wland .useful improvements in ignition 'Systems for lnternahCombustionof which the followingl is a speciiicationl My present inventionrelat'esgenerally tc lignition systems for internal combustion engines andparticularly to that character of system shown and described in my copend ing applications, and embodying twin con# densers, alternate onesot which charge and 4discharge upon the make or each circuit through anigniting coil.

The object of my present invention is to provide an apparatus of theabove character which may be installed in connection with the sparkingcoils now in use Without splity 'ting their bus bar, and with this inmind sents a battery supplying a constant current vof uniform potentialthrough conductors 11 my invention resides in the features to behereinafter described With reference to the accompanying drawing,forming a part ot this speciication, and in which,

Figure 1 is a diagram' of my improved apparatus as applied to atwo-cylinder engine, and, Fig. 2 is the same as applied to afourbylinder engine.

Referring now to these gures, 10 repreand 12 which are bridged bycondensers 13 and 14, connected in series by a Wire 15 from Whichaconductor 16 leads to the bus bar 17.

Thus, initially, the potential in each ofthe condensers is equal to'One-halt thatbt the current supply means, or battery 10, which lattermay, of course,'be a generator tobe driven Without definite relation tothe en- The conductors 11 and 12 lead current through the 'bus bar 17 tothe primaries 18 of the sparking coils which induce into theirrespective secondaries '19- and raise the poJ tential sufficient tocause a spark to jump the gap in their respective spark plugs-21. Fromthe'primaries 18, conductors 22 lead to the corresponding outersegmentsv 23, 2e, and 26 of the timer .27 Which has corresponding innersegments 28, 29, 30 and 31 and a brush segments 39. adapted to bridgeeach pair cinner and outerseements when it contacts therewith.Conductors and 34 lead from" conductors 11 and 12 to the inner segmentsand 3l .spectively, 'which connected by Wires and 3S to ther ei lopposite inner and 29 respec i 'ush rotates to the posin senients Q13and let in cirL .es the tion shown t thus placin Wih the bat-toy f.i-Qhis circuit raced follows: from one pole et battery 1G by conductors1i and to t, nient Q8., through timer brush 32 to segment 23, byconductor 22 through coil 18, thence through bus bar 1'? and conductor16 to condenser 14, and thence by conductors 1Q and to the other pole ctthe battery. The condenser le tl'ieretore receives a charge equal tothat oli the battery potential. 'As the timer brush 3Q continues tovrotate it bridges the segments 29 and 24%.. Ilhis completes the circuitot' the condenser through the induction coil 18, causing the condenserto discharge into the coil. The circuit may be traced as follows: fromthe condenser 14 over conductor 1G, bus bar 17, through coil 18,conductor 22, segment Q4, timer brush 32, segment 29, and conductors Seand 12 to condenser 14%. As the .potential of the condenser 14 fails,due tothe last mentioned circuit, it causes, by induction, a current ofsufficient potential to jump the gap in the plug "21. "At such a timethereafter condenser 18 receives a charge from the battery 10 by thefollowing circuit: from one pole of battery 1() 'by conductor Se tolsegment 29, through timer brush 32 to segment 24, conL ductor 2Q, coil.18, bus bar 17, conductor-16, vcondenser 19, and5-by conductor 11 to theother pole ot the'battery. This places the condenser 13 in circuit Withthe battery, and it receives a charge equai to that of the battery'potential. A s the timer brush 32 continues to rotate, again4 comes incontact with the segments Q3 and 28, causing the condenser 1S todischarge into the coil 18, and ,the condenser 1li to receive a chargefrom the battery 10 through the tollen/'ing circuits: 'The currentlot-rs 'from condenser 13 over conductors 33 segment ine 28, throughtimer brush 32 to segment Q3, through conductor 22 to coil 18, throughbus bar 17, and through conductor 16 back to the condenser 13. Thiscircuit causes the potential of the condenser 18 to rapidly fall tozero, inducing a current in the secondary or" the coil 18, whichproduces a sparlr in the plug 2l.' At such a time thereattei` condenser14 receives a discharge from the battery l0, the circuit being the sameas the one irst described. This raises the potential of the condenser 14to that of the battery and completes the cycle. From this it will beseen that onecondenser discharges its energy and the other charges,through the primary ot' a coil, upon the make of each circuit, withattendant advantages, for instance, demagnetizing the core 20 of therespective co'il following induction, and .obviating all archingincident to discharging upon the break. It will further be seen thatthis action takes place Without splitting the bus bar and withoutmechanical devices depending upon proper adjustmentfor successfuloperation.

A dual or alternative system may be created by supplying a battery 37 tobe'cut into the conductor 16 by means of a mechanical switch 38, andwith this arrangement, the system operates through the usual vibrators.lVith battery 3T cut out however, and the condensers operating, thedischarge is so rapid that the vibrator has not time to oscillate, theadvantage being that there is eliminated the time constant that everyvibrator has, permitting synchronous sparking with relation to theposition of the pistorsl of multicylinder engines.

claim:-

l. In an electric ignition system, twin condensers connected in series,a charging circuit to which the :tree terminals of the condensers areconnected, ignition coils having their primaries connected,respectively,

seance to opposite sides of the charging circuit, and each of saidprimaries being also connected to the neutral point of the condensers,and a timer in the circuits of the primaries, said timer being locatedbetween the primaries and their connections with the. aforesaid chargingcircuit, for alternately closing the primary circuits.

2. In an electric ignition system, twin condensers connected in series,a charging circuit for said condcnsers, a conductor having a connectionintermedate said condensers, ignition coilsV having one of their endsconnected to said intermediate conductor, and a timer comprisingcontacts arranged in pairs, one of the members of each of said pairsbeiuff connected respectively to the other ends the aforesaid ignitioncoils, and the other members of each of said pairs being connectedrespectively to opposite sides of the charging circuit, and a movablemember successively bridging the members of the respective pairs ofcontacts.

3. ln an electric ignition system, a `source oi' electrical energy,conductors leading therefrom, twin condensers connected in series andbridging saidconductors, a conductor having a connection intermediatesaid condensers, a timer having a pair of contacts for each of theignit-ing devices, and a brush to successively bridge each pair ofcontacts, ignition coils, each having connection with the aforesaidintermediate conductor, and each having a. conductor connectingl withone of its respective contacts, and conductors from the source ofelectrical energy to the other contacts. f

in testimony whereof I aii'ix myts'ignature in presence ot' twowitnesses.

CLAUDE L. siLva.

iVitnesses:

F. A. Bannon, E. F. CAMP.

